AbstractThis research investigates the effect of solids retention time (SRT) on the acid‐phase anaerobic digestion of primary sludge. A series of experiments were conducted using two continuous‐flow 3‐L units with the following configuration: a completely mixed reactor (CMR) with clarifier and solids recycle and an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. Results show that C2 to C5 volatile fatty acids (VFA) were the predominant compounds formed. At a constant hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 12 h, variation in SRT from 10 to 20 days resulted in a slight increase in VFA production in both systems, but at a shorter SRT (5 days) a drastic drop in acid production was observed. In addition, the percent distribution of VFA was to some extent affected by the change in SRT. On the other hand, organic matter degradation [measured by the chemical oxygen demand (COD) specific solubilization rate or the percent volatile suspended solids (VSS) reduction] appeared to be independent of SRT, at least in the range investigated. The percent soluble COD in the form of VFA, however, increased steadily with increasing SRT, approaching the 90% level at 20 days. The remaining soluble COD in the effluent from these systems may be mainly attributed to metabolic intermediates and unused soluble substrate. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.